One shot, Two shot, Three shot, Four
by TheDivaTheDork
Summary: This series will contain a collection of one shots. I hope you enjoy!
1. Lights, Camera, Action!

**One Shot #1 **

Lights, Camera, Action! : Mercedes helps Sam prepare for his first commercial shoot for "bubble" the butt shaping underwear for men.

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><p>"Ok tell me how this one sounds", Sam said as he cleared his throat.<p>

"Hey fellas, are you tired of of your flabby Shapeless derrière? Do you to long for the Gluteus Maximus of a greek god? Well I have the solution for you!" Sam gushed enthusiastically, pointing his fingers at his underwear clad rear end.

Mercedes was seated on the couch, a bowl of lucky charms in one hand and a spoon in the other, downing mouthfuls of cereal as she flipped through the latest issue of Essence magazine.

_Is she serious right now? _Sam thought to himself. He rustled the script in his hand in an attempt to get her attention. "Huh" She said turning to him, a look of confusion on her face.

"What?" She gurgled through a mouthful of cereal.

"Are you even paying attention?"

Mercedes gulped loudly and closed her magazine, resting it on the coffee table.

"Babe of course i'm listening, You sound great."

"Ok so how was that last take?"

"Just like the rest, perfect." She said rolling her eyes.

"I tried to do something a little different, I went a little Billy Mays with the arm action." Sam said as he thrust his butt forward, pointing aggressively at his rear.

"Oh yeah, I definitely noticed. It brought your delivery to a whole new level." Mercedes tried to reassure him while also trying to hide the sarcasm in her voice

She loved Sam, and she was so proud of him for booking this commercial, but he was taking this way too seriously. All he was told to do was show up and look buff. He had the second part down pat, and Mercedes had promised to wake him up in time to get to the shoot bright and early tomorrow morning. He didn't need these excessive rehearsals. But in true Sam fashion, he was determined to take everything to the next level. And with Mercedes being his girlfriend and best friend, she had no choice but to be the audience to his obsessive shenanigans.

"Sam, baby. Don't you think you're doing a little too much?"

Sam frowned, dropping his script onto the table as he moved to sit next to Mercedes on the couch.

"It was the Billy Mays hands wasn't it" He said with a sigh, "threw off the whole vibe. Maybe I should try the Shamwow guy voice? How about the chubby bears from the Charmin commercial? Do you think I could find a bear suit in my size by tomorrow morning?"

Mercedes shook her head, grasping his hands in hers as she spoke.

"Thats not what I meant. You're doing great, you don't need a bear suit or the Shamwow guys pervy voice. You just need to be you! You booked this gig as Sam Evans, and Sam Evans is exactly who they are going to want at the shoot tomorrow morning. Stop stressing!"

Mercedes leaned forward to plant a kiss on his lips, But before she could reach them, Sam spoke.

"Ok yeah, but how about a cape? I mean, these underwear are kind of a life saver for guys with washboard butts, maybe I could take the superhero approach with it? _Captain Max Maximus_ kind of has a nice ring to it right?"

Sam was talking more to himself than to Mercedes at this point. She rolled her eyes and lay back on the couch, pulling a pillow over her face to muffle her groans of frustration as Sam continued his tangent.

"And I mean, maybe if the commercial blows up it could lead to more opportunities. Could you imagine Captain Max Maximus fighting crime along side Iron man? Mercedes?"

Mercedes removed the pillow from her face, clapping her hands together as she sat up facing Sam, a forced smile spread broadly across her face.

"You know what, I changed my mind. I think the Billy Mays hands really showed off the circumference of the booty shorts!"

"They're butt enhancing boxer briefs, not booty shorts!" Sam scoffed.

"Right. My bad, thats what I meant!" Mercedes said, fake enthusiasm laced in her voice.

Sam sighed, looking at her sympathetically as he spoke.

"I'm over thinking things aren't I."

"No! Of course not, Why would you say that?" Mercedes said, a little too dramatically.

Sam smiled softly towards her, shaking his head at her attempt at fake shock.

"Because you're Mercedes Jones and I know you better then you know yourself. And I know you're only saying that to make me feel better. "

He reached over and pulled Mercedes into his lap, resting his head in the crook of her neck as he peppered her shoulder with gentle kisses.

"I just don't want you to be nervous babe, Its like you think everything has a catch. The directors want you for you, why don't you believe that?" She asked softly, reaching around to stroke the soft strands of Sam's honey blonde hair.

"I don't know. I guess i'm not use to someone wanting plain old Sam Evans and actually meaning it. I guess I think everything has a catch because it usually does. At least when it comes to me."

Sam said sadly, burying his face into Mercedes hair, embarrassed for finally revealing an insecurity that had plagued him since highscool.

Mercedes spun around in his lap until she was straddling him. She cupped his face in her hands, looking into the green of his eyes as she spoke.

"You Sam Evans, are, will be, and have always been enough. Just as you are. I don't want you to ever think you aren't. And it will kill me if I have ever been one of the people that made you feel that way."

Sam smiled at her before kissing her deeply, taking her bottom lip into his mouth. He wanted to kiss away the notion that she had ever been one of the people that made him feel less than, because that couldn't be farther from the truth.

He pulled away from the kiss and quickly moved his lips to the tip of her nose before resting his forehead on hers.

"Mercedes you have never made me feel that way, you're one of the only people who haven't."

"I'm glad" Mercedes whispered as she trapped Sam's lips in a passionate kiss of her own.

Mercedes pulled away, running her hands through Sam's hair as she looked into his eyes.

"So whats the plan. Billy Mays, Pervwow, Captain bubble butt, Fat toilet paper bears or Sam Evans?" Mercedes said, smiling down at him.

Sam laughed and slid his hands under her ass, pulling her closer to him.

"I think Sam Evans sounds pretty good."

"Good, that's my favourite." Mercedes planted a kiss on his cheek before getting up and retrieving the script from the coffee table. She stood in front of him and in her best british accent said

"One more time from the top, Mr Evans,with feeling this time."

Sam stared up at her, shaking his head as he laughed. He stood and plucked the script out of her hands, placing it back on the coffee table.

He wrapped his arms around he waist and pulled her close to him, stroking her lower back with his thumb as he spoke.

"I think I've done enough rehearsing for one night." He said, his eyes tracing the curve of her lips.

"Oh yeah? Well what do you want to do next?"

Sam leaned down, nipping at her neck as his hands trailed to her ass.

"How about this", he breathed softly in to the side of her neck before sliding his hands under her ass and picking her up, carrying her towards the stairs.

Mercedes wrapped her arms around his neck as they made their way up the stairs. "Oh yeah. The Sam Evans hands are definitely better then the Billy Mays hands." Mercedes whispered with a smile.

Sam laughed and kissed her deeply, kicking the door closed behind him.


	2. An Angels Gift

**One shot #2**

An Angels gift: Sam and Mercedes go shopping for a painting for their new apartment. What was supposed to be a fun day out on the town quickly turns into an emotional journey of love, fate and kindness as the couple enter the whimsical world of "Madame Nia Nara."

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><p>"You know, that quote about New York being like a box of chocolates is way off. Its more like a box of rats and angry people in suits." Sam said as he chewed on a churro.<p>

He gripped tightly onto Mercedes hand, looking suspiciously at everyone that passed.

"I'm pretty sure the quote is "_Life_ is like a box of chocolates." Plus New York isn't all that bad, look at all the scenery!"

"You mean bird poop?"

"Sam!" Mercedes laughed, swatting at his chest.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just prefer you know...plants,trees, actual nature. But giant concrete buildings are cool to." He smirked, taking another bite of his churro.

"Well we can have all the plants you want in the apartment. But first, we need a painting! Stay focused babe!" She grabbed the churro from his hand, taking a large bite before tossing him an innocent smile.

"Hey!" Sam laughed.

"What,I told you to stay focused!"

Sam nudged her playfully in the side before wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"So whats this place called anyway? Madame Nick Nack?"

"Madame Nia Nara" Mercedes emphasized, rolling her eyes at his mispronunciation.

"Its supposed to be somewhere on this block so keep your eyes peeled."

Mercedes glanced at the directions on her phone, making sure they were still headed in the right direction. She researched this place last night, It was supposed to be a high end antique shop specializing in home decore. Sam didn't see the point in travelling so far just to find something as trivial as a painting. He had suggested she just order something online or pick something up from one of the local street vendors. Mercedes refused, insisting that making a trip of it was an important "bonding" experience. It was going to be their first real home after all, and she wanted him to play a part in putting together their new adventure. Plus, she was excited to explore new parts of the city with Sam. Their little excursions to various obscure coffee shops and hole in the wall lounges was something she had grown to cherish dearly since moving to the city. Any chance she got to experience another "first" with Sam, she took it.

Sam tapped her her shoulder and she looked up to see him staring straight ahead, His green eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Uh babe..I think I might have found it."

Mercedes followed his gaze until she spotted it. It was a tiny old shop next to a dark dingy alley. The sign above the store was aged and damaged, the once white paint was stripped and replaced with vulgar graffiti and various fliers. Garbage lined the outer walls of the shop, pigeons and mice pecking feverishly at the contents of one of the garbage bags that had spilled over and littered the ground. If the outside looked this bad, Mercedes didn't even want to imagine the inside.

"Well this isn't what I expected." Mercedes sneered. She glanced back to her phone, pulling up the website for Madame Nia Nara.

"Sam we've got to be in the wrong place. Look at this" She said as she thrust the phone towards his face. He grabbed the phone, looking from the screen, to the shop, and back to the screen.

"Looks the same to me."

"Are you serious!" Mercedes snatched the phone from his hands and held it up in front of them both.

"In the picture the building is white, and there is supposed to be a big window in the front. This isn't the right place!"

"What are you talking about, It is white" Sam said, pointing towards the building.

"Where?"

"Well you gotta look under neath the fliers and-"

"And the penis graffit?" Mercedes said, raising a brow.

"Well...yeah." Sam laughed.

"Sam, thats disgusting."

"What! I didn't draw it!"

"Ok well what about the window? There's supposed to be a pretty display window in the front. Its the reason I picked this store in the first place."

Mercedes frowned as she glanced at the dilapidated little shack at the end of the block. Maybe she should have done more research on this place. Maybe she would have come across some information about the shop coming into some hard times and they could have saved them self the trip. Sam noticed her mood begin to dim, he pulled her in close, planting a soft kiss to the top of her head.

"I don't know babe, it looks like the window got boarded up. They probably had a break in or something."

"So I brought us to a damn crime scene. Fantastic." Mercedes mumbled into Sam's chest.

"Aw come on,I think it looks cool. Its kind of rustic or something. Lets check it out!"

Sam grabbed Mercedes arm, tugging her towards the shop. Mercedes pulled back, attempting to slow his pace.

"Sam this looks like a crack house. I'm not going in there!"

"Weren't you the one talking about the beauty of New York earlier?"

"Yeah and this ain't it! I feel like I've caught something just looking at the dump. Lets just try Ikea or something, Kurt gave me coupons."

"Cedes it took us two and a half hours to find this place, are we seriously not even going to take a look inside?"

"Do you see the outside?"

Sam turned to her and raised a brow, folding his arms across his chest.

"Is Mercedes Jones judging a book by its cover? I never thought i'd see the day." Sam smirked

Mercedes rolled her eyes "It'm not judging i'm just-"

"Judging" Sam finished. A satisfied smirk on his face.

"Sam-"

"Mercedes." Sam said smiling down at her. He knew he had already won the argument.

Mercedes sighed and pushed past him, moving swiftly towards the store.

"Lets just get this over with." She mumbled over her shoulder.

Sam jogged up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind as he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Thats my girl!" He said, swatting playfully at her butt.

"Yeah well If your girl gets lice from this place she's going to make sure she uses your pillow tonight."

"My pillow huh? Judgemental and evil. Should I be terrified or turned on right now? My penis is confused." Sam whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Terrified. Especially since you've got us headed towards the pits of hell."

"Nuh uh, thats sounds like Judging Mrs Jones."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and wiggled her way out of Sam's arms. He laughed and tickled her sides, making her abandon her scowl for a broad smile. She grabbed Sam's hand as she quickened her pace towards the store.

"Ok you win, no more judging. I'm supposed to be a new and improved Mercedes Jones." She said, with a new found enthusiasm.

"Yeah"

"I'm supposed to be fearless and brave."

"Heck yeah" Sam cheered.

"I'm supposed to be bold and adventurous!"

"Thats right!" Sam sang as he fist pumped the air.

"I'm supposed to be- SAM WATCH OUT!"

"Wha-"

Mercedes yanked him back just before he stepped on a pair of rats that were nibbling on pieces of mouldy bread in front of the shops doors.

"Holy crap" Sam breathed.

Mercedes clung to him tightly, urging herself to keep her lunch down.

Suddenly, the door to the shop swung open. The rats were startled and began to scatter. Abandoning their meal, they made a beeline straight towards Sam and shrieked and clung onto Sam, trying desperately to climb into his arms and away from the rodents.

"Sorry about the scare little lady. Those damn pests hang round here like they pay the damn rent. I'd set a flame thrower on em' if I could."

Mercedes and Sam looked up to see a short bald man with a long dark beard smiling up at them. He wore a white tank top and faded blue jeans with a dusty green apron tied around his protruding stomach. He looked just as run down as the shop, His features appearing equally as worn and weathered as the sign above his head. He seemed sad,but yet there was a pleasant charm about the man. Mercedes began to relax, releasing the grip she had on Sam.

"I hope they didn't scare you too much. I just never seem to have the time to clean up round here. Not that'd make much of a difference. A pack of bum's would come out here late in the night and leave this place looking ten times worse by mornin' " The man shook his head, glancing sadly at the destruction that surrounded the shop.

"Oh no, i'm fine. Just a little startled is all."

"Right, just startled" Sam smirked down at her, Mercedes shot him a look and nudged him in the shoulder. She didn't want to acknowledge her embarrassing display of cowardice. Especially after she had just given a speech about how she was supposed to be brave. "New and improved" my ass.

"Well is there something I can help you kids with?"

"Uh yeah, we actually came to take a look around." Sam said, smiling at the the man.

"You what?" The man's eyes widened with disbelief. Mercedes and Sam shot each other a quizzical look.

"Uh yeah. Is that ok?" Mercedes asked.

Sam grabbed Mercedes hand and started backing away from the shop. "Yeah I mean, if you aren't open yet we can come back later or on. That's not a problem." Sam said cautiously.

No, no,we're open. Its just, I rarely get customers. Usually the only folks that stop by are drunks asking to use the washroom or land developers trying to run my ass out of here. Guess i'm just shocked is all." The man added sadly.

Sam and Mercedes looked at each other, both conveying the same feeling of sympathy. Hearing the struggles the man was having running his business had caused a wad a guilt to form in the pit of her stomach. She gave Sam's hand a squeeze, suddenly grateful that he encouraged them to come.

"Well we're interested in seeing what kind of treasures you've got inside, if thats alright with you?" Mercedes added with a smile.

"Yeah Madame Nick Nack, we aren't drunks. Just a couple trying to find some deals." Sam added, Mercedes elbowed him in the side, embarrassed at his mispronunciation once again.

The man laughed, opening the door as he gestured for the pair to walk in.

"Madame Nia Nara" The man corrected. "But my name is Frank, Nia is my mothers name. This was her shop before she passed, i'm just trying to carry on the legacy as I best I can."

Mercedes leaned in closer to Sam, resting her head on his shoulder. The feeling of guilt growing stronger the more the man talked.

"But please, come on in! I'd be happy to show you folks what we've got inside."

Mercedes and Sam took one step inside before stopping in their tracks.

"Damn." They breathed in unison.

* * *

><p>The outside didn't do the inside a speck of justice, the place was astounding. The wall behind the counter was lined floor to ceiling with beautiful antique vases and tea sets, all different sizes, shapes and colours. An incredibly long rack of luxurious rugs and fabrics rested against the left wall. Sets of beautifully hand crafted dining sets and book shelves where scattered about the floor. There was a quaint elegance about the place that was incredibly inviting.<p>

"So, what do you folks think? I'ts not what it use to be but-"

"It's absolutely beautiful." Mercedes gushed.

"Yeah sir, you've got a really nice thing set up here. I Bet your mom would be proud." Sam said smiling.

Frank was quiet for a moment, swallowing back the emotion that was building in his throat.

"Well Thank you. That's very kind." he smiled quickly at the pair before swiping a hand across his eyes.

"So is there anything you are looking for specifically? I know every inch of this place like the back of my hand, anything you need i'll be able to hunt down in a jiff."

"We are actually in the market for a painting, Something on the larger side that would look good over our fireplace." Mercedes smiled brightly, lacing her arm through Sam's.

"Ah a painting. Yes, we have plenty of those. My mother was a huge fan of art, always acquiring more paintings then she knew we could sell." The man smiled to himself as the memories rolled in his minds eye.

"She insisted that every piece she collected would find a proper home one day."

"She sounds like she was a real character." Sam smiled

"That she was. Follow me, i'll show you what we've got."

Mercedes and Sam followed Frank to the back corner of the store. He brought them to a wall that was covered floor to ceiling with a wide dusty curtain.

"Yeah, Its not the most conventional way to preserve canvas, but it keeps the dust off of em' at least."

He walked to one corner of the wall, grabbing hold of a rope attached to a pully system. He began yanking at the rope and the curtains started to part, clouds of dust permeated the air, making Sam and Mercedes wheeze and cough as the dust circled around them.

"Sorry folks. Haven't aired this thing out in a while it seems." Frank said as he gave the rope one last tug.

"Thats ok, we'll be- Oh wow." Sam gasped. "Cedes look at this!"

Mercedes swatted the dust that still lingered in the air beofre turning to face the wall. She inhaled sharply, looking on in amazement.

"Oh my god. There are so many!"

Every inch of the large back wall was covered with everything from whimsical waters colours to striking acrylic works. Some small, some large, but all where beautiful.

"How are we supposed to choose? I don't even know where to start." Mercedes sighed.

"Take your time, there's no rush. Mother always said when you know, you know. Theres a ladder in the corner if you want to take a look up top. Just call me if you need any help."

"Thank you sir, we should be able to handle it." Sam said as he shook the mans hand. Frank tossed them a quick smile before making his way to the front of the store.

"Ok lets get to work." Sam cheered, rubbing his hands together.

"Well your awfully excited for someone who told me I should just pick something out online." Mercedes smirked

"Well excuse me for changing my mind. This is a lot more fun then I thought it would be. Whoa! look at this one." Sam grabbed Mercedes hand hand dragged her over to a painting in the middle of the wall.

"What do you think?"

"Sam its a clown."

"Yeah, and waters wet." Sam shrugged.

Mercedes rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest "I mean, why the hell would you want a picture of a clown in the middle of our living room?"

"I don't know, Its funny. It'll liven the mood don't you think?"

"I thought it was your job to liven the mood Mr. Ha Ha.."

"Are you calling me a clown?" Sam gasped, tossing her a look of faux outrage.

"Well you've got the feet for it." Mercedes laughed, lightly tapping his enormous size 14 feet with her minuscule size 7's.

"Ok if you're playing that game then what about this one? Reminds you of someone, no?"

Sam pointed towards a small painting of an elderly woman sitting in a rocking chair, yarn and needles resting in her lap.

"And what are you trying to say exactly?" Mercedes raised and eyebrow at him.

"I'm just saying, the only people I know that like to be in bed by 8pm are you and Grandam Evans." Sam smirked.

"Well if you have a problem with that feel free to take the couch." Mercedes blew him a kiss and pushed past him, checking out the paintings at the other end of the wall.

"Well if i'm being banished to the couch can I take her with me?" Sam said, pointing to a gorgeous painting of a nude woman sprawled out on a red velvet chaise.

"Wouldn't mind sleeping in the living room if I had her to keep me company." Sam said, wiggling his eyebrows at Mercedes.

"Take her. I don't care." Mercedes shrugged.

"Liar." Sam smirked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"No really, it's fine."

"Sweet." Sam said eagerly as he lifted the painting off the wall.

"This just means if I ever get to see that hottie Derek Hough around LA again, I can slip him my number." Mercedes said, tossing Sam a broad smile.

"Not on my watch!"

"Why not? i'll be a free woman. I wish you and Mrs perky nips a long and happy life together." Mercedes explained,her tone drenching with mock seriousness.

"Ok thats it. Game over. Perky nips can stay right here." Sam said, quickly placing the painting back on to the wall.

"And you." He rasped, as he pulled Mercedes into his arms. "Can stay right here."

"Where?" Mercedes whispered seductively, smiling up at him.

"Right here. With me." Sam smiled down at her before capturing her lips in a soft kiss.

"How about if I just slide him my e-mail address?" Mercedes asked as she pulled out of the kiss.

"Shut it." Sam laughed before pulling her in for another kiss, this one more passionate.

Sam spun her around and pushed her closer to the wall, never breaking the seal he had on Mercedes lips. He kept backing her up, kissing her more deeply as his hands began to roam all his favourite places. Mercedes broke the kiss when the back of her head grazed one of paintings, She spun around quickly, knocking it loose with the whip of her hair.

"Oh shit!"

Sam let go of Mercedes and lunged for the painting before it hit the floor.

"Close call. Nice one there klutz."

"Oh Shut it. Did we break it?

"I don't know, let me see." Sam spun the painting around to the front, Mercedes moved beside him as the pair examined the painting. Their eyes twinkled in amazement and they turned to each other with matching expressions.

"Whoa" They said in unison.

"Everything ok back here kids? Thought I heard a little commotion."

Frank had walked up behind them, a worried expression deepening the lines in his face.

"I think we might have found a winner." Sam said, smiling down at Mercedes.

"Agreed." Mercedes added, smiling right back up at Sam.

* * *

><p>The painting was absolutely stunning. Streaks of blues and oranges, greens and purples, and everything in between decorated the canvas. An abstract image of a man embracing a woman in the middle of the piece had stirred something inside both Sam and Mercedes. It was almost like Frank said, When you know, you know.<p>

"We would like to take this one, please." Sam said handing the painting to Frank.

Frank froze when he saw the picture. Tears began to gather at the corners of his eyes, only this time he didn't try to hide them. He took a few deep breaths before taking the picture from Sam. He ran his fingers lightly over the image as a small smile combatted the tears that spilled from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry. Did we do something wrong? did we break it?" Mercedes asked worriedly.

"No, its just the picture. We carry a lot of fine work here, but this is a special one." Frank smiled down at the image, tracing along the edges with his fingers.

"Oh, well if you aren't willing to part with it we understand. We can choose something else, it's really not a problem" Sam said softly, trying to offer some comfort to the man.

Frank shook his head and wiped the tears from his face.

"Why did you pick this one?" He asked softly.

Mercedes and Sam looked at each other, not really sure how to explain.

"It just kid of, picked us I guess." Sam said.

"Yeah, it just sort of..fell into our hands I suppose." Mercedes added, trying to help Sam explain.

"But if you don't want to sell it we totally understand."

Frank glared at them for a long while as if he were sizing them up. He glanced back down at the painting, a small smile spreading across his lips.

"No. I want you to have it." Frank said softly.

"We don't want to take anything thats important to you." Mercedes urged, "There are so many pictures, we can pick another one."

"She would want you to have it."

Mercedes looked at each other as if they were expecting the other to fill them in on something they had missed.

"Who would want us to have it?" Sam asked cautiously.

"My mother." Frank smiled." She collected paintings, but she was also quite the artist her self." he explained.

"And you're sure she would want us to have this?" Mercedes asked shyly.

Frank pulled up one of the chairs from the dining sets and took a seat, running his hands over the soft canvas panting as he spoke.

"I remember the day she painted this one. She had been having trouble sleeping for a long while. Worrying about the bills and how she was going to keep the shop running was giving her nightmares. She'd wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and just lay awake until the sun came up again. It was eating away at her, it was so hard to watch."

Sam gripped Mercedes hand and gave it a squeeze. Whatever was happening, he felt like he needed to have some contact with her during it,no matter how small it may be. Frank continued on with his story.

"These sleepless nights lasted on and off for the better part of 6 months. I was trying to get her to see a doctor, maybe get some medication to help her sleep. But she refused, saying all she needed to get better was some paint and a canvas."

Frank smiled to himself, memories of his mother spending hours in her studio came flooding back to him.

"Then one night, she slept. She slept so long I started to get worried. It seemed silly to wake her from her one full nights sleep after months of her never getting more then an hour of rest, but I couldn't help it, I was so worried. I went into her room and started rocking her awake, gently at first, then more aggressively, I thought she was never going to wake up."

Frank swallowed hard at the memories of that day and the fear he felt for his mother.

"Eventually her eyes fluttered open." Frank smiled" I was so thankful, but for some reason she shoved me out of her room. I stood outside that door of heres for an hour, begging her to let me check on her. Eventually I gave up. I only stopped by periodically to make sure I could still hear movement on the other side of the door."

Mercedes rested her head on Sam's shoulder, suddenly needing the same feeling of closeness that he did.

"It wasn't until about 10pm that she came out of her room. She called to me and I ran up the stairs faster then a bat out of hell." Frank laughed.

"I wanted to ask her if anything was wrong, but she looked better then she had in half a year. She was smiling so wide, it brought tears to my eyes." Frank wiped away the tear that escaped his eye as he said those words.

"I asked her what she was doing in her room for so long. She pointed to this picture and said "The angels let me have a good nights sleep so I wanted to make them a gift."

"Angles?" Sam asked curiously.

"Yeah, I was confused to. She said that night she was in the middle of having a nightmare. Two dark figures where towering over her as she was huddled in a corner of the shop. She closed her eyes and begged them to leave but they wouldn't."

"That sounds horrible." Mercedes said sadly, wiping away a tear that had slipped from her eye.

"I imagine it was." Frank added.

"She said they were right about to swoop down on her when a bright light shone down from above. She said two angles, a man and a woman came out of the light and chased those two goons away. They helped her stand up and embraced her in the warmest hug she had ever felt. Next thing she knew I was above her, shaking her awake."

"Wow" Sam breathed, entranced by the tale.

"Yup. She said she hadn't had a sleep that good in ages. And she owed it all to these here angels" Frank said as he motioned to the figures in the picture.

"She only lived another year after that night. But she spent the last of her days nightmare free, and for that I will always be grateful."

"Frank, we could't take this from you. Its way to sentimental." Mercedes said sympathetically.

"No, You have to take it."

"Frank listen-"

"No please. She always said one day the angels would be back for their gift. I always humoured her, but I never took her words seriously. But the night before she passed, she pulled me to her room and handed me this painting. She repeated to me once again, that the angles would be back for their gift and she needed me to make sure they got it. I sensed something different in her this time, I guess maybe for the first time I was actually believing her fairytale. So I asked her how I would know when the angels would be back for their gift. And you know what she said?"

"When you know, you know. Sam and Mercedes said in unison.

Frank smiled at them brightly. "Exactly."

"Even back in our busy days, nobody would ever even take a second look at this painting. Then you two walk in at the height of our dry spell and decide out of the entire collection, this is the one you want."

"It just kind of spoke to us." Mercedes said.

"Yeah, something about it seems kind of familiar. It just feels right." Sam added with a soft smile. He wrapped his arm around Mercedes and pulled her in close.

"I was never willing to look at my mothers tales about angels and fate as anything more then harmless babble from a sick old woman. But seeing you two, and seeing this picture again,i'm starting to wonder if there was some more to it."

Frank smiled at the couple and traced his fingers over the image one last time. Mercedes noticed a small yellow tag on the back of the painting with a larger white tag peeking out from underneath.

"Whats that?" Mercedes asked.

Frank flipped the the painting around to the back to see what she was pointing at.

"Oh thats the price tag. The paintings $80, I hope thats not a problem for you folks."

"No, not a problem at all" Sam reassured the man.

"No, I mean, whats underneath the price tag, the white sticker?" Mercedes pressed.

"Oh, thats...thats nothing." Frank muttered.

"Can I take a look?

Frank sighed before reluctantly handing the painting back to Mercedes.

"I suppose, its as good as yours anyways."

Mercedes grasped the painting and Sam moved beside her, She slowly peeled back the yellow sticker.

"Whoa" Sam and Mercedes breathed in unison.

* * *

><p>"$5000"..wow thats a lot of dough." Sam said, racking his hand through his hair.<p>

"Yeah it is." Frank said sadly.

"Mother wanted all her paintings sold, insisting they all deserved to find proper homes. It was so hard trying to set a price on things that where essentially part of someone you loved dearly."

"I could imagine" Mercedes said softly.

"I priced most of her work around $500-$1000, but this one. This had been so important to her, and it was her last painting. I would have priced it at a million dollars if I could."

"I can understand that" Sam added."So why are you selling it for $80?"

"When the shop came into hard times everything had to take a hit. I had no choice but to drop the price on everything, it was my only chance at making even a partial living. It killed me to sell my mothers work for so cheap but finding them a home would have been more important to her then the money. I'm sure of that."

Sam and Mercedes glanced at each other, having an entire conversation with nothing more then a single look into each others eyes.

"If you're still willing to part with the painting, we will take it." Mercedes said.

"Of course, I couldn't imagine it going to anybody else." Frank smiled.

"But we want to pay full price. $5000." Sam added brightly.

Frank's eyes widened in shock. He glanced back and forth between Mercedes and Sam, waiting for one of them to reveal the punch line to their joke.

"I can't ask you kids to do that. Thats a lot of money."

"We're young but we've been incredibly lucky in our careers. It's a lot of money, but we think its well worth the investment." Sam said with a reassuring smile.

"Plus, with everything you've told us about your mom and this amazing painting, paying anything less then full price just wouldn't feel right."

Frank glared at the painting, trying to hold back the new set of tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.

"I don't know if I could ever take such a large sum of money from you nice folks. The guilt would eat me alive."

"Think of it this way. Your mom asked you to make sure the angles got their gift. Maybe now this is her way of repaying you for keeping your promise."

Mercedes stared up at Sam, incredibly touched by what he just said. Frank appeared to be touched to, the idea that maybe this was his mother contacting him in some way seemed to make him think deeply about their offer.

"Frank" Mercedes said, drawing him out of his thoughts. "We really want you to take the money. If not for yourself, then for the shop."

Frank paused and thought about her words for a moment.

"Yeah I mean, $5000 is a lot of money. Maybe you could get that window in the front replaced, maybe hire a part-timer to help you clean up around here. You've got a good thing going here Frank, let us give you a hand." Sam said softly.

Frank stood for a moment, glancing one last time at the picture in his hands. He rubbed his thumb over the place where his mother had signed her name. A warm sensation filled his core, he thought of the warm hug his mother had said she received from the angels in her dream. He looked up from the painting to see Sam and Mercedes smiling down at him and the feeling intensified.

"This is absolutely crazy, but I cant help but feel like this is the right thing." he sighed." Sold, for $5000 dollars." Frank smiled up at them."Thank you, thank you both."

"No, thank you" Sam smiled brightly.

Mercedes laced her arm through Sam's, tossing Frank her own toothy smile of appreciation.

"We're just glad we can help." She added.

* * *

><p>They moved to the front of the store where Frank wrapped and packaged the painting in bubble wrap and packing paper. He tied a decorative red bow around the finished product and stamped the packing paper with an old ink stamp that read "Madame Nia Nara"He breathed deeply, tracing the edge of the package with his finger before handing over the painting for the last time.<p>

"I don't think I have words to thank you folks for what you've done. This means the world to me, it truly does."

"This means the world to us to." assured Sam, "Today was so much more then we expected."

"Really,it was. We've done a lot so far in New York but I have a feeling today is going to be one of those memories that never fade." Mercedes added softly.

"The feeling is Mutual" Frank smiled. "Please don't be strangers, stop by anytime."

"We definitely will" Sam said "It was nice meeting you Frank." He said as he grasped Franks hand into a handshake.

"Nice meting you to, both of you." He said, smiling down at Mercedes. Sam grabbed the painting off the counter and the two of them headed towards the door. Mercedes stopped just before she stepped out into the street and turned back to face Frank.

"Frank?" Mercedes asked softly.

"Yes Mrs?"

"I hope you'll finally get some sleep tonight." She smiled at the man knowingly before disappearing out the front door.

Frank stood frozen at the counter for a moment. "How did she know he was having trouble sleeping?" he thought to himself. He thought back to his mother, and the way she always talked about the angels that she held so close to her heart.

"I found your angels momma" Frank said out loud "They've finally got your gift. And now I have mine. Thank you."

Frank looked around the shop, a satisfied smile spread across his lips.

* * *

><p>Sam held the painting under his left arm, his right hand gripping tightly onto Mercedes hand as they walked to the subway station.<p>

"Sam?" Mercedes said shyly.

"Yeah Cede?"

"I love you."

Sam smiled down at her, a little confused yet amused.

"I love you to baby, whats up?"

"Nothing, I'm just really glad you made me go into the shop today. "

"I really only wanted to go in because you were throwing a fit about it. I kinda wanted to be a pain in the ass I guess." He laughed.

Mercedes rolled her eyes up at him, shaking her head at his immaturity.

"But it turned out for the best didn't it?

"It really did. He's such a sweet man. I'm glad we could do something for him." Mercedes smiled.

"And his mom. Can't help but feel like this helped her out to. I don't know how though, just a feeling."

"You believe in the story about the angels?" Mercedes asked.

"I know its sounds crazy, but I wont lie and say I didn't feel some type of connection to the painting. You felt it to right?" Sam looked down at her, searching her face for an answer.

"Yeah, I felt it to." She reassured him.

"Can I tell you something without you thinking i'm a complete cornball?" Mercedes asked nervously.

"I make no promises." Sam smirked down at her. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, as if this was something she was truly serious about sharing with him.

"I'm sorry, I'm kidding babe. What is it you want to tell me?"

Mercedes was quiet for a moment, debating with herself about speaking her mind. Sam noticed her hesitation and squeezed her hand gently, offering her some quiet support.

"I believe Franks mom, you know, about the angeles."

"Oh yeah, and why's that?"

Mercedes lowered her head as she spoke, suddenly becoming shy around him.

"Because I feel it to sometimes. That there is an angel around me, I mean."

Sam was quiet for a moment as he absorbed her words.

"Do you know who the angel is?" he asked softly.

"Sometimes..sometimes I think its you." She said quietly, keeping her eyes trained on the ground. Her stomach dropped at the sound of Sam chuckling above her.

"Great, you think i'm crazy." Mercedes mumbled to herself.

"On the contrary actually. Can I tell you something without you thinking I'm a huge cornball?"

"I make no promises" Mercedes said, Sam could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Hey now." he smirked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm sorry. go on."

"Truth be told,I get that same feeling to sometimes. That there is an angel around. I guess I was just never able to connect that feeling to anything before today." He said shyly.

"Want to guess who I think my angel is?" He smiled down at her.

"Mrs perky nips?" She smiled up at him.

Sam laughed and pulled her close to him, pressing their bodies together in the chilly New York air. He tilted her face towards him so he could look directly into the brown of her eyes as he spoke.

"Its you baby. Its always been you." He whispered before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. They pulled away and held each others gaze.

Although neither of them said it, they both knew they felt it. The warm hug of the angles from the old woman's dream.


	3. The Strip

**One shot #3**

The strip: Mercedes is sent on a mission to track down the elusive Sam Evans. Will she be able to extract the information from her target? or will their instant connection get in the way of her goal?

* * *

><p>Mercedes nervously made her way through the clutter and chaos of the Las Vegas strip. She kept her eyes trained straight ahead, trying hard to keep her focus amongst the drunken crowd that surrounded her. She was warned that it would be difficult to work under these conditions, but she insisted she could handle it.<p>

_"You're really going to let the newbie work the strip? I thought the goal was to make money not lose it Shane."_

_"Santana it's already been decided. Mercedes gets the strip, and I want you at the Plaza." Shane said firmly as he lit a thick cuban cigar. Santana rolled her eyes and hoped on top of Shane's desk, crossing her long toned legs over each other._

_"I hate the plaza. Its so predictable." She moaned._

_"Only you would think a place as crazy as the Plaza was predictable. Thats why I need you there. Nobody knows that place better then you." Shane released a puff of smoke in Mercedes direction, eyeing her up and down as he twirled the cigar through his fingers._

_"What do you say Mercedes, do you think you can handle the strip?"_

_Mercedes glanced at Santana, desperately craving her stamp of approval. She needed to have this woman believe in her, Shane to. She had looked up to the pair of them since the day they had taken her off the streets 6 years ago. They had given her a home, a chance at a real life, and the closest thing to a family she had ever had. But despite their act of kindness, Mercedes couldn't help but sense the sting of animosity radiating from Santana. Santana was always cold towards her, only spending time with her when they needed to discuss work, and disregarding her real name in favour of nick names like "newbie" or "new girl". But Mercedes didn't mind, she idolized the woman. Santana was a__ll toned legs and shiny long hair, she was born and bred for the Vegas scene. Not only did she have the looks, she had the attitude. She was the perfect blend of sugar and spice with an air of confidence that Mercedes envied above all other. _

_Then there was Shane, the nicer of the two. He seemed to care about Mercedes, teaching her and showing her the ropes of the industry he had always promised she would one day be a part of. And after 6 years of waiting in the wings, her day to prove herself had finally come. She was hoping her first assignment would be in a place a little more her speed, but she was grateful to get the opportunity to prove herself, however difficult that may be._

_"I'm in. I can handle the strip." She said confidently, making sure Santana and Shane could hear the determination in her voice. She was going to make this work, she was going to make them proud, no matter what._

_"Good," Shane smiled towards her," lets go over a few of the rules." He placed his cigar in a crystal ashtray on his desk before motioning for Mercedes to take a seat in the black leather chair on the opposite side of his wide oak desk._

_"Alright, Rule number one: Never use real names. You're not Mercedes, I'm not Shane, She's not Santana. Got it? When you're working, you make something up. But make it believable, no "Jane Doe's" or "Mary Jane's" , those are Cliches and most people will find that suspicious. Also, never use the same name twice. Who ever you choose to be tonight dies as soon as the mission is done, understand?"_

_Mercedes nodded her head, signifying she was following him so far._

_"Rule number two: Cameras are not your friend. Don't take any selfies, don't take any group pictures, I don't even want to be able to point you out in the background of somebody's Instagram collage. This is Vegas, every square inch of this place is laced with security cameras. Your best chance at finding cover is to stay within the crowds, use them as a mask. Remember you're a ghost Mercedes. In, out, no evidence left behind. Clear?_

_"Crystal."_

_"Rule number three:Don't get your hands dirty. You don't kill, hurt, or harm any of the targets in any way shape or form." Shane shifted his gaze towards Santana, narrowing his eyes at her._

_"And you don't sleep with them either." He added._

_Santana rolled her eyes and hopped off the desk, "I don't see why I can't have a little fun from time to time Shane, It's not like i'm hurting anybody." She whined._

_"This is work Santana. You have time for fun after you've done your job. I've already warned you, no personal connections, sexual or otherwise." Shane turned his attention back to Mercedes._

_"That brings us to rule number four: Don't form attachments. You aren't out there to be a friend and you aren't out there to be a lover. You can fake it, you can say and do whatever you need to as long as you stay within the parameter of the rules. But you can't think of these as people, think of them as targets. Your only job is to extract the information I request, then leave. You're intelligence agents, nothing more, nothing less. Understand?_

_Mercedes nodded yes but she couldn't help the feeling of dread that began to form in the pit of her stomach. She knew she wanted this job, this was the moment she had been waiting for since she was plucked out of the trenches and rescued by Shane. For years she had wanted to repay him for his kindness, prove to him that she was worth the sacrifice he made 6 years ago. And part of her wanted to prove something to Santana also. She wanted to show her that she was worth loving, that she was worthy of her friendship. Pulling off this mission could be the key to finally getting them to accept her. Maybe she would finally stop being the "newbie" and finally start being Mercedes in their eyes.  
><em>

_Mercedes straightened her back and lit the fire of determination in being._

_"I'm ready. whose my target?" She demanded._

* * *

><p>She quickened her pace as she weaved her way through the stream of sweaty bodies. She kept her eyes glued to the mop of shaggy blonde hair bobbing up and down a few feet in front her. She followed the man as he moved into an even busier part of the strip, the crowd growing form a couple hundred to what felt like a couple thousand.<p>

Elbows collided with Mercedes ribs, hands and feet grazed every inch of her body as she swam through the mass of bodies. The distance between her and the target grew wider as her short legs struggled to keep pace with his much longer stride. She began to get more frantic, forcibly shoving and pulling people out of her way as she desperately tried to keep the man in her sights. Mercedes grabbed the elbow of a blonde woman in front of her and pushed her to the left, mumbling an agitated "sorry" as she tried to push her way past. The woman grabbed Mercedes arm and yanked her back, causing a disturbance in the flow of human traffic.

"Excuse me bitch you can't just shove people out out of the way, what the hell is your problem?"

"I'm sorry i'm in a rush", Mercedes pulled her arm out of the woman's grasp and scanned the crowd for her target. He was no where in sight. _Damn it, How did I screw this up! _Mercedes thought to herself. She began to panic, shifting her eyes in every direction to catch a glimpse of the tall honey blonde marker. Fear began to creep in on her, she had been following him on the streets for 20 minutes after spending an hour watching him sip cocktails and nibble deserts with a myriad of pretty woman through the window of a small lounge on the strip. She was waiting until they were out of the thick of the crowd before she would approach him, now he was gone and she had no idea how she would be able to track him down again. An hour and 20 minutes down the drain. Her throat tightened at the possibility of having to explain to Shane that she had let him down. Before she could let her mind linger on that thought, she was shaken back to the present when the blonde woman yanked Mercedes back again, this time by the hair.

"What the fuck, let me go!" Mercedes yelled, she spun around and smacked the woman's hand away, freeing her hair from her grasp.

"Omg this crazy bitch just attacked me!" The woman began to cry as she clutched her right wrist as if she were in immense pain. Mercedes could smell the stale scent of alcohol radiating off of her, she knew better then to pick a fight with an inebriated woman. She tried to escape into the crowd before the situation escalated but the crowd began to stir, forming a small circle around the two girls. Cameras began to flash as the crowd began to chant.

"Fight, fight,fight,fight!"

Mercedes gasped and quickly buried her face in her hands. Not only had she lost her target, she had broken one of Shane's rules. "Cameras are not your friend." At least 10 people now had a picture on their phone of Mercedes on the strip, even if she were able to catch up with her target, there would now be evidence of her being in the area.

_Shit. How am I going to explain this to Shane?_ Suddenly a large hand snaked out from the crowd and took hold of Mercedes arm. She was pulled out of the circle and ushered into a dark alley a few away from the crowd.

Mercedes went to speak when her lips where met with a long index finger.

"Not so fast, I get to ask the first question sweetheart."

Mercedes looked up and froze when her eyes made contact with a pair of intense green eyes. She would know those eyes anywhere, she had studied them for hours during preparation for her assignment. Those eyes belonged to none other then Millionaire, card-shark and casino owner, Sam Evans. Her target.

* * *

><p>"So they're sending cabbage patch dolls out on missions now, how interesting." Sam said smirking down at her, Mercedes swatted his hand away from her lips and backed up further into the alley. She needed to create some distance between them while she planned her next move. She had expected to be the one to surprise him, not the other way around. Things haven't been going as planned so far, but there was still time to get this mission back on track.<p>

"Where are you going? you finally caught up with me and now you're backing away? Thats a little counterproductive don't you think?" He was leaning against the wall, staring her down with an impish glint in his eye. Mercedes kept her distance, using this moment to soak him in. This was the first time she was getting a good glimpse at the man she was assigned to track.

Sam Evans was 6ft of pure lean muscle. His honey blonde hair was short in the back with soft strands covering his forehead and falling slightly into his eyes. He was dressed in a black suit jacket with a white V-neck undershirt. His long legs cloaked in a pair of dark blue denim, a pair shiny black patent shoes finished off the look. He looked strong, masculine, but there was something almost childlike hidden in his eyes. Mercedes got the sense that he didn't take very many things seriously. She hoped that trait would make her job just that much simpler.

"You know, you aren't very good at your job. I expected to at least be bound and gagged by now. You aren't making this any fun." He frowned at her as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Excuse me?" Mercedes said, narrowing her eyes at the man.

"I mean where's the gun? a knife? Do you even you have a getaway car? I'm sorry but i'd have to give you one out of five stars. Maybe 2 for being cute." He winked towards her. Mercedes felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach for a moment. This wasn't going as planned. What was he talking about? Guns? Getaway cars? What exactly did he think she was? And more importantly, why was he giving her butterflies? She shook the thoughts from her head, she needed to focus on regaining control of this situation.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about." She straightened her back and stared him down, hoping the light in the alley was dim enough to the hide the fact that her hands where shaking.

"So you're telling me you're not here to kill me?" He said curiously, licking his lips as he inched closer to her. She took a step back to maintain the space between them.

"Again, I don't know what you're talking about."

"So you weren't the one following me down the entirety of the Las Vegas strip? Because I could have sworn that was you. Or is their another pretty woman wandering around the streets wearing shades at night?" He smirked.

Mercedes froze as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She shyly took the pair of aviators off her face and tossed them into her bag. She thought the sunglasses would help conceal her identity until she finally met with the target. She knew Shane had told her to take cover in the crowd, but she figured an added layer of disguise wouldn't hurt. She didn't think about how much of a red flag it must have looked to those around her. It was times like these when she wished she were more like Santana, she wouldn't have made mistakes, not ones as brainless as these.

"You're new to this aren't you." He smirked at her, daring to take another step closer.

"I don't kno-"

"You can cut the innocent act. I've been down this block enough times to know a hit when I see one." Sam shook his head and unbuttoned his suit jacket. The muscles beneath his white shirt became more visible. Mercedes found herself staring and the trembling in her hands increased, but this time for an entirely different reason. She lifted her eyes back to his face to catch him staring back at her, a satisfied grin plastered across his lips. Mercedes shook away the butterflies that began to stir in her stomach once again. She needed to focus, she had a job to do, and it wasn't too late to finish it.

"I'm not a hitman." She said sternly as she took a step towards him.

"I'm starting to see that. I mean what are you, 4ft nothing?" He laughed as he closed the gap further.

"I'm 5'3 thank you very much." Mercedes huffed.

"Same difference." He smiled down at her, his green eyes igniting the air between them. Mercedes desperately she need to take a step back, for her own good. But she had to keep challenging him, she needed to stay in control. She took another step closer, leaving nothing more then a foot between them.

"So what are you then? a decoy?" His voice was low and raspy, Mercedes could practically feel the southern drawl in his words. Her knees buckled slightly and she grasped the wall for support before he could take notice of the effect he was having on her. _Get it together Mercedes,_ she urged herself.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by "decoy". She said with as much confidence as se could muster. Sam smiled down at her, soaking her in as he spoke.

"You know, one of those sexy alluring women sent out to wine and dine rich suckers in hotel bars. They maybe give you a little kiss, promise you a night you wont ever forget, then bring you back to their boss's trap house where a pack of low lifes rob you blind."

Mercedes widened her eyes in shock as Sam smiled at her, seemingly entertained by how he seemed to strike a nerve in her.

"I'm not that kind of woman. I don't use sex to get what I want. Never have, never will." Mercedes said firmly, crossing her arms under her chest. The movement caught Sam's attention, he scanned the length of her body, letting his eyes linger on the swell of her breasts.

"To bad, with a body like that you could wipe out half the casino owners and hotel big wigs on the strip."

"You're disgusting" Mercedes spat. Who does this guy think he is? Not only had he accused her of being a tricked out prostitute, he was standing there drinking her in like she was a piece of property. He was stirring emotions within her that she knew would lead to nothing but trouble. She needed to stay objective, She had a job to do and she needed to stay as emotionally detached as possible.

"Harsh words from a woman who was following me in the middle of the night. I'd still like to know what you're up to by the way." He leaned closer, bring his face just mere inches from hers.

Mercedes shifted her weight to her left foot, staring him straight in the eyes as she spoke.

"I've said it before and i'll say it again, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're lying"

"Excuse me?"

"You're a liar."

"You don't even know me."

"But I know you're a liar."

"No you don't."

"Want to bet?"

"You're insane."

"No i'm Sam."

"What?"

"Whats your name?"

"Mercedes."

Mercedes clamped her hand over her mouth as soon as the word slipped from her lips. She had broken yet another rule, "never use your real name". How did she let his silly game mix her up? Not only was she an amateur, she was a complete moron as well. This was getting out of control, she needed to get out of here before she said anything else that could possibly blow her cover, or worse, accidentally reveal anything that could bring Shane and Santana down with her.

"Mercedes huh. Well nice to meet you. I'd introduce myself but I have a feeling you already know all about me." He smiled down at her and shifted closer, their gap decreasing to nothing more then mere inches.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go." Mercedes breathed as she tried to push past him. He blocked her with his body and spun her around, pushing her back against the wall and trapping her between his arms. Their faces were inches apart, Mercedes could feel her heart rate quicken as she stared at his full lips as they curled into a smile.

"Not so fast. I still need answers."

* * *

><p>"I don't know what you want from me." She said.<p>

Sam could sense the tremble in her voice. He had been sizing her up for a while now and was still unable to get a good reading from her. Whatever it was she was up to, Sam felt as though she wasn't a threat. He eyed her up and down, collecting as much information as he could. She was a gorgeous woman. Tantalizing curves wrapped up in an unbelievably sexy little black dress with a black trench coat over top. Her long brown hair hung in waves over her shoulders and down her back.

Sam had first noticed her when he was at "Le chateau Za" just a few blocks up the strip. He was enjoying some drinks with a few co-workers and some girls that had joined them at their table when she caught his eye. She was seated at a table on the patio, alone. It was dark by this time so Sam had wondered why anybody would brave the danger of the Las Vegas strip alone after dark. He wanted to approach her, but decided to keep his distance incase she was meeting up with anyone. After about an hour her presence became more and more suspicious. Her actions displaying more and more of the tell tale signs of a plot or a hit. This had become a recurring event in Sam's life over last few months. Ever since "The Evans" had been named the most profitable casino in Vegas, his life had involved one assassination attempt after another. His life and his money had become a prized possession in the Vegas underground, and every low life in the city wanted to be the first ones to get their hands on him. And it seemed as though tonight would involve another dangerous encounter for Sam.

It was kind of sick, but these attacks had become almost like a game to him. He enjoyed the thrill of being hunted, and he was getting good at recognizing the signs of an impending attack. He tossed some bills down and said goodbye to the guests at his table. He knew it was safer and wiser to call his driver to come pick him up, but Sam Evans wasn't to fond of caution. He was in the mood to play, and hoped this mistress was up for the challenge. He ducked out the front doors of "Le Chateau Za", peering over his shoulder to see if the woman would trail him or if he had been wrong about her all along. He made it half a block away before he saw her in the distance, making a beeline in his direction. _Bingo_, he thought to himself. _Lets play_.

It was only when he had noticed that she had gotten herself into a scuffle with a woman on the strip did he start to question who this woman might actually be. Sam had enough experience dodging these kinds of people to know that getting yourself involved in a fight whilst trailing a target was an act of bad luck or pure naivety, or a bit of both. He didn't quite know why but he needed to know more about her, so before she could get herself into anymore trouble he managed to sneak her away from the chaos. And now here they where, and it was time for him to get his answers.

"I want to know why you were following me." He said as he scanned her face. He didn't want to scare her, but he needed to be firm. It had only been a few minutes but Sam could already sense she was going to be a difficult person to deal with.

"You're paranoid, I wasn't following you, I was just looking for my hotel." She said. Sam searched her eyes for hints of the truth but ended up finding something else all together. She was lying. He could feel it.

"Really, which one?" he pressed, hoping that if he pressed hard enough he could catch her in a lie.

She froze for a moment and Sam watched her. It was almost as if she were scanning her brain for a suitable answer. The browns of her eyes acting as mirrors to what was really going on in her head. She was floundering, and Sam could sense it.

"The Plaza." She finally blurted out. Sam smiled at her, the way she shouted it out sounded suspicious, as if she were shouting out an answer at a gameshow. _She really was bad at this_ Sam thought to himself. He didn't know anything about this woman, and it was very likely that she was out to cause him harm in some way. But something about her nativity made him sympathize with her. That, and the fact that the curve of her lips were drawing him. His stomach began to flip flop as his mind wandered to images of her lips on his, then her lips somewhere a little more private. His skin began to sizzle at the images in his head. What was he doing? He needed to find out why this woman was lying to him. He shook the thoughts from his head and turned his focus onto calling out her lies.

"The plaza is in the opposite direction." He said, narrowing his eyes are her.

Sam noticed her breathing pause for a moment. Did he finally do it? was she finally going to tell him the truth?

"Oh..well thats good to know. I must have gotten lost." She said, shifting her eyes to the ground between them.

He smiled down at her, this game of 20 questions was whittling her down. He was close, he could feel it.

"And what exactly brings you to the Plaza hotel?" Sam asked. She kept her eyes trained on the ground, not allowing Him to read her expression.

"I'm here to celebrate a friends birthday." She said weakly. Sam laughed internally. She wasn't even believing her own lies at this point. He stared down at her, feeling guilty for putting her through this, but he needed to know the truth. But still, part of him wanted to reach out and comfort her, both for her sake and his own.

"So then why where you out here alone?" He pressed.

"We got separated." Mercedes responded quickly.

"Ah I see. So when's her birthday?" Sam asked almost immediately. When the conversation got urgent she tended to make mistakes, at least that is what Sam was able to gather from their earlier encounter. He was hoping that tactic would work again for him now.

"November 1st" She said with more confidence. Sam was assuming she thought she had been doing well. Little did she know He was mentally keeping tally of all the lies he knew she was telling. A broad smile spread over his lips as he shook his head at her. She was adorable, completely in over her head, but adorable none the less. She looked up and met Sam's eyes, he caught wind of the confusion that contorted her face. He almost didn't want to spoil this for her, she could use the confidence that would come out of successfully lying her way out of trouble. But Sam couldn't let her off the hook just yet.

"What?" She asked, slightly annoyed.

"I'm just wondering why you would be in Vegas on October 12th to celebrate your friends "November 1st" birthday?"

Mercedes froze, once again her inability to think things through had blown yet another cover. Sam knew he had her, there was no lying her way out of this, she had no cards left to deal.

"Lets try this one more time sweetheart, why are you following me?"

* * *

><p>"I can't say." Mercedes lowered her head, her voice was so small, she spoke barely above a whisper. She hoped that if she were quiet enough she would fade away into nothing and escape this mess. It seemed as though Sam had taken notice of the change in her attitude because he quickly softened his tone.<p>

"Can't say or wont say?" He asked softly.

Mercedes kept her eyes on the ground between them. She figured things couldn't get any worse if she just refused to answer anymore questions.

"Ok then, lets take a look at our options. You can't be a hitman, you're much to small for that. And although you're strikingly beautiful, your moral compass doesn't fall in line with your typical floozy decoy."

Mercedes began to fidget at the words "strikingly beautiful". The familiar sensation of butterflies began to swirl around in her stomach as she struggled to resist a smile. She should be focusing on getting out of here, not developing a school girl crush on the man she was sent to exploit.

"So what do we have left. Are you a spy? Did someone send you to keep tabs on me?" Mercedes didn't flinch, continuing to scan the ground between their feet.

"No, you're horrible at being sneaky. I could see you coming from a mile away, couldn't imagine you being much use as a spy." Sam laughed,staring down at the top of her head.

"What about information, did someone send you to dig up some dirt about me?" Mercedes began to shake slightly, she tried to tense her muscles, urging her body not to betray her. Sam noticed her tense and knew he was on the right track.

"Wow I haven't had one of those in a while. What's the official name for people like you? Intelligence agents is it?"

Mercedes swallowed hard and began twiddling her thumbs. She knew she was giving herself away, but she couldn't help it. She needed to move some part of her body to release the tension that had built within her. She noticed Sam had stopped asking questions, nervously she lifted her eyes from the ground and met with Sam's.

"Gotchya" He smirked.

* * *

><p>"The last few months i've gotten mostly Decoys and hitmen. You're a welcomed breath of fresh air little Ms." Mercedes eyes widened at that confession. She wasn't the only one to have Sam Evans as their target, people much more dangerous then she was were after him also. She couldn't explain why, but for some reason that news frightened her. She couldn't help but feel concerned for him, and guilty for being placed on a long list of people that had tried to stir up trouble in his life.<p>

"Don't look so shocked. Wealth and success tend to attract these sort people I suppose. After the fourth attempted drive by I sort of figured this had to be a little more then just bad luck." He laughed and tossed her a lop sided grin. How could he talk about such serious things as if it where nothing?

"But I guess you'd know all about that already huh." He smiled.

"Actually, I didn't." This was suddenly becoming all to real for Mercedes. Collecting information and taking someones life were to very different things, but for the first time since she took the assignment, she was starting to wonder how these two extremes could be connected. Who was Shane going to pass the information on to? What were they planning on doing with it? What if her tampering in Sam's life wold get him hurt in some way? She began to feel slightly nauseous. The reality of the world she longed to be a part of was starting to make her sick. And now not only was she filled with bitter regret, she was filled with fear. Fear for Sam.

"No? So what did they tell you about me? Sam questioned.

"Just your name, you're line of work, and how to find you." Mercedes confessed. She still with held the details regarding Shane and the assignment, but a part of her needed to be honest with him, at least partly honest.

"And what, Nothing about how devilishly handsome and extremely single I am?" He raised a brow at her and flashed her a toothy smile. Mercedes could feel her cheeks begin to flush and her hands begin to tremble.

"That information isn't relevant to my job." She stated, wanting to move on to another topic before the sexual tension in the air became too thick.

"Well, I just thought you would like to know." His voice was raspy and sensuous. What did he mean by that? The conversation as whole was messing with Mercedes head. Sam weaved in out of flirtatious banter and serious questioning so fast and with such fluidity that she didn't know where exactly they stood at the moment. Was he angry with her? Or was he interested?

"So what is your job exactly? What is it your employers want to know about me?"

Mercedes was quiet. If she couldn't read the direction the conversation was going then it was probably safer to go back to her original plan, total silence. Sam waited a few moments for her to respond, realizing she wasn't going to, he continued.

"Fine, we'll play the guessing game again." He sighed.

"Do they want bank statements?" Mercedes didn't flinch, so he kept pressing.

"How about a detailed report of my business dealings?" He scanned her face for a reaction, but once again he found nothing.

"Don't tell me they're after the secret recipe to my world famous apple pie? Not even a beautiful woman like you could fish that information out of me. I'm taking that one to the grave." He said in mock seriousness. Mercedes couldn't help but smile.

"Ah a smile, does that mean I getting close?"

"I can't" Mercedes whispered.

"Again, you can't or wont?" Sam said softly, lifting her chin so she would meet his eyes. They were so beautiful she thought to herself, something about them told her that he was safe. But still, she couldn't risk incriminating Shane and Santana, they were her family and her greatest priority.

"Wont I guess. I've already botched this whole assignment. I don't want to say anything, I can't afford to get anybody else in trouble." She said weakly. If something happened to Santana or Shane, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. They were all she knew.

"Who don't you want to get in trouble, your boss?"

Mercedes was silent, she didn't want to talk about Shane. She couldn't.

"He doesn't care about you , you know." Sam said very matter of fact. Mercedes caught his eyes and she sensed something in his gaze. His eyes had become dark, almost clouded with something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Then suddenly something clicked, Was he worried about her?

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Guys like him, guys who send terrified women out to do their dirty work. They don't care about anyone but themselves."

"I'm not terrified" She said. And she wasn't. there was an entirely different emotion flooding her cells right now, But she could't bare the embarrassment of letting him know that.

"Oh yeah, Is that why you've been shaking for the last 15 minutes?" he smirked.

_Damnit it._ Mercedes bit her bottom lip, embarrassed that he had noticed the uncontrollable shiver that rocked her body. If only he knew the real reason why she shook. She couldn't do this anymore. She was done with the questions, done with the games, she needed to leave.

"Look, I'm done with my mission. Its better for both of us if I just cut my losses and run. I'll tell my boss that I couldn't find you. He'll be upset, but he'll forgive me eventually. And you can carry on with your life like this never happened. ok?" She was pleading with him at this point. She wanted to avoid sounding desperate, but desperate was exactly what she was.

He spent a few moments just starting at her. His eyes pouring into her as if he was trying to tell her something.

"Who says thats what I want?" he finally spoke, his voice low and dripping with sex.

"What?" Mercedes trembled, she was starting to get the feeling the butterflies she had been feeling throughout this encounter wasn't as one sided as she had originally thought.

"Well, I was kind of hoping after we cleared the air we'd go for a nice dinner or something, maybe finish our little stroll of the the strip, it was going so well before you got into a scuffle with that bottle blonde." he chuckled, soaking her in with those eyes she had studied for so long.

"Sam-"

"I think that might be the first time you've said my name since we've been enjoying this little chat. Now I feel like we're having a real conversation." He flashed her an excited smile and Mercedes cheek flushed, sensing the conversation shifted even further into an intimate space.

"They'll kill you you know." And just like that, His entire demeanour changed in an instant. Long gone was the flirtatious lop sided grins, he was being serious now, his eyes now fully showcasing the feelings of concern Mercedes had thought she noticed bubbling just beneath his surface moments ago.

"What?"

"You're boss, he'll kill you." He said, staring hard to make sure she absorbed each one of his words.

"Thats ridiculous. I've known him for years, I know he'll be disappointed but-"

"Mercedes." He said softly, cutting her off. He was worried, really worried about her. How had they gotten to this point in such a short amount of time? What was it that had taken them from strangers to something deeper in mere minutes?

"If you go back there without the information he sent you to get you're as good as dead." He warned.

"Thats not true. He's like a brother to me, he'd never do anything to hurt me." Mercedes insisted. Whatever pull she was feeling towards Sam wasn't strong enough to break her bond with Shane. He was the one that saved her, she wouldn't let Sam try and poke holes in the relationship that had meant more to her then life itself.

"He would if there where people threatening to hurt him."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a hot target, no pun intended." He smiled down at her and she rolled her eyes. Even during a time of seriousness, that childlike nature would always be just around the corner it seemed.

"What I mean to say is, I'm of serious value. The type of guys that come after guys like me, they mean serious business. There is big money and a lot of risk in trying to take me out. My guess is that your boss is working for somebody, who is working for somebody, who is working for somebody who's working for a pretty powerful asshole. And powerful assholes don't tolerate mistakes."

"That doesn't make any sense, if this was so important then why would he send me? Why not Santana?" Mercedes bit her lip, she had just broken the same rule twice. She had revealed another name. Her stomach churned and she began to feel queazy. Everything was falling apart, all she wanted was to be accepted, to prove to her saviours that she was worth saving. She was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't. She had messed up the mission and possibly put Santana's neck on the line. She would never forgive her for that, she would never love her back. Mercedes could feel the sting of tears begin to collect at the corners of her eyes. Sam took notice and placed a hand on her shoulder. The contact scorched her skin and shook her out of her thoughts. She stared up at him, his green eyes comforting her by doing nothing more then just existing.

"I'm sorry. I can see you have a strong connection with this guy. But I hate to break it to you sweetheart but i'm guessing he sent you because you're the most disposable."

"Disposable?" The word made her skin crawl. Thats how she had felt for most of her life. She could't stand the thought of Shane thinking that was all she was.

"He trusts you enough to do the job, but if you mess, then killing you wont be a loss to the company. I'm guessing he decided that this "Santana" person was too valuable to lose at the moment."

Mercedes let his words sink in for a moment. Could he be right? Did Shane only send her because she was the most convenient card in the deck? She thought about how cold Santana had been to her over the years, about how most of her memories with Shane were of him teaching her the ins and outs of the business. Was he just training her to be another tool in his arsenal? She had thought that he cared, that he was trying to share a piece of his world with her. But now she was having second thoughts. Maybe this was why she never felt truly accepted, maybe its because she was never meant to be.

"Use your lowest risk option, in your highest risk situation." She mumbled more to herself then to Sam.

"Exactly" He said softly, gently stroking her arm with his hand in an attempt to comfort her.

Mercedes felt sick. Earlier all she wanted to do was get back to Shane and Santana, and now she was feeling like that wouldn't be an option. Her mind flashed back to when She was 15, out on the streets alone. Having nowhere to call home, and no one to call family had taken a toll on her, and now she feared she would soon be back in that same place. No where to call home, no one to call family. The tears that had threatened to spill finally made their escape, streaking her face in thick wet streams.

* * *

><p>"Mercedes I need to know what they sent you to get." Sam said pleadingly. He didn't understand why she just couldn't give him the information. What was she afraid of? Maybe he should have done more to try and make her trust him. But something was telling him her inability to share the information had very little to do with him. The possibility of her boss thinking of her as nothing more then a disposable asset seemed to hit her somewhere deep. Sam didn't know the relationship she had with that man, but seeing the tears fall from her eyes made Sam hate him, whoever he was, he was a dead man.<p>

"I can't tell you" She chocked between sobs.

"Mercedes they will hurt you. Please, let me help you." Sam had both hands on her shoulders at this point. He wanted to pull her into him, he wanted to wipe away every tear that fell, but he didn't have the right. Whatever connection he was feeling to her was one sided as far he could tell. All he could do was offer to help her, and hope she would accept it.

"Why? why do you want to help me? 20 minutes ago I was prepared to ruin your life, now you want to save mine. Why?"

Mercedes lifted her tear streaked face to his. Sam froze at the pain that clouded her eyes, she wasn't built for this. That was the answer, that was why he needed to help her. She was a good person, loyal and determined, but it was clear that this was a life she wasn't meant to lead. It was silly, and maybe it wasn't his place, but Sam felt the need to save her. He looked deep into her eyes, searching for the missing piece of this puzzle. He wanted to help her, but he needed to know one thing first.

"Mercedes I don't think you can see it, but I can. You are worth more then this. I don't know what you have been told, but you are more then this. You just need to be given the opportunity to see that for yourself ."

He she looked up at him and their eyes latch onto each others. He stared deep into her eyes until he found it. The thing he needed to know before he took this risk with her. The connection that he had been feeling, he could feel she sensed it to.

* * *

><p>He inched his face close to hers. Mercedes heart rate quickened as she anticipated what could only be a kiss. How did they get here? Where was this going? Suddenly he pulled back before making contact with her lips. It was as if the same thoughts that Mercedes was having were racing through his head also. Whatever was happening between them, this wasn't the right time to explore it. He moved away from her slightly, allowing the tension that they were creating have some room to dissipate.<p>

"Mercedes this is what we'll do. I'll give you the information you need, then you go back to your boss and give it to him. Then As soon as you find an opportunity, run."

Mercedes thought about it for a moment. Letting the reality of what would happen if she gave the information to Shane roll around in her mind.

"I cant" She concluded.

"Why?" Sam was getting agitated, he needed her to be logical about this, but there was nothing logical about the situation they were in. Mercedes let that question bounce around in her head for a moment. _Why _She repeated to herself. A few moments ago the answer would have been because she didn't want to get Shane and Santana hurt, and to some extent she supposed that was true. Her love for Shane and Santana was hard to shake, even if she was now doubting the bond she thought they had. But if she were being entirely honest with herself, she didn't want to give the information to Shane for an entirely different reason.

"I can't. Because if I do they'll come after you. I've messed up so much already, I don't want to get anybody hurt." She confessed. She didn't know when it happened, but the idea of Sam getting hurt had become one of her greatest fears to arise from this situation. Sam smiled at her taking one of her hands in his as he spoke.

"Sweetheart I can handle myself, four hitmen and countless decoys couldn't take me down. I doubt whatever son of a bitch has you under lock and key is going to catch the elusive "Sam Evans"" He smirked but quickly wiped it away when he saw that Mercedes was less then amused with his lack of seriousness.

"Listen, I'll be fine Mercedes. But you wont be. So let me help you." He said softly, lacing his fingers through her own. Every inch of her skin was tingling. This was one of the most traumatic nights of her life but this one touch had her wishing none of it would come to and end.

"No." She whispered. It was foolish, stupid, completely irrational. But she was willing to risk the wrath of Shane if it meant keeping Sam out of danger. She knew he wouldn't like it, but she would rather he stay safe, even if it meant making him upset with her.

He dropped her hand and took a few steps back. His demeanour once again flipping at the drop of a coin. He was back to being all business.

"Fine." He said gruffly. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a cell phone, he quickly punched a number into his phone and held it to his ears.

"What are you doing?" Mercedes could feel a wad of nerves begin to build in the pit of her stomach.

"Hello?,Yes my Name is Sam Evans, i'm being followed by somebody and I think they may have a weapon. I'm on the corner of-" Mercedes jumped forward and smacked the phone out of his hands. It collided hard with the ground, shattering the screen in several places. The phone was damaged but the call was still connected, the voice of the 911 operator could still be heard mumbling faintly from the speakers. Mercedes scrambled for the phone to disconnect the call but Sam wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her back and away from the phone.

"Mr Evans? Mr Evans are you there?" Could be heard echoing from the remains of the damaged phone. Mercedes tried one last time to dive for it but Sam tightened his grip, crushing her body closer to his.

"Mr Evans we have traced your call and a cruiser will be out to your location in a few minutes. Keep your distance from the suspect and take shelter in a public area if you can. We wil-" The phone cut off and the screen faded to black. Sam let Mercedes go and she fell to the ground.

"Why would you do that!" Mercedes screamed as she scrambled back to her feet. Had she guessed wrong? Had he not felt the connection that she had? He had convinced her that Shane and Santana didn't really love her, and now she was afraid maybe he was one in the same. The tears began to flow again as she debated running. Where would she run to? Who would take her in? Maybe a jail cell was the best place for her to be. At least she would have a roof over her head.

"You didn't give me a choice Mercedes. I'd say you have about 5 minutes before the cops show up. You can either let me help you, or you can explain to the police why you were following me. And we both know how well you perform under pressure." He was getting nervous, Mercedes could sense it. Calling the police had been just as terrifying to him as it was to her.

She felt her head begin to spin at the reality that she now had less then 5 minutes to decide the course of her life. Jail would consume her, she didn't have the temperament to survive a place like that. She would be ok at first, but she knew the isolation and the fear of the unknown would eventually eat her alive. But still, could she risk putting Sam in danger? Just the idea of it made her stomach turn. He promised her he would be able to handle himself, and she knew deep down that it was true. But it was a risk, a risk she wasn't sure she was willing to take. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and she didn't know which way was worse.

"I'm not your enemy Mercedes." Sam took her face in his hands and stared at her with those eyes that had begun to mean so much to her in such a short amount of time.

"I'm scared" She confessed, she had nothing else left to say. All she felt was fear.

"I know. Let me take care of this. Please Mercedes tell me what they want." He pleaded with her, his eyes once again trying to convey the words his lips wouldn't say. _I'm going to protect you Mercedes. I need you to trust that I can protect you._

The sound of sirens wailed in the background. Mercedes heart rate quickened and Sam's words became urgent.

"Mercedes now, you need to tell me now!" She glanced one more time into his eyes. This was it, her next words would seal her fate. Memories of shane and Santana flashed through her mind. The love and admiration she had for them was something she could imagine would take years to shake. They had saved her, she was here because they had taken her in. And in the matter of minutes this stranger had come into her life and made her question all of that. Everything she thought she knew had been shaken to the core thanks to Sam Evans. She still had so many questions about him, so much she needed to know and learn. It made absolutely no sense, but she was about to put the fate of her entire future into the hands of this man.

"The armoured trucks!" She yelled. As soon as the words escaped her lips it was as if a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Everything Sam had promised seemed to finally feel tangible to her. All she had to do was give in.

"What? Mercedes I need you to explain, what armoured trucks?" He spoke fast, the urgency of the situation was evident in every word he spoke.

"They wanted me to find out what time the armoured trucks come by to pick up the earnings at your casino." She clarified. Sam exhaled a breath that he seemed to be holding for as long as she had known him. He shook is head and laughed to himself as he put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"So they are planning a heist. Figures." He said, more to himself then to Mercedes.

The sound of the sirens grew closer. Sam pulled out an old receipt from his wallet "Quick, do you have a pen?" he asked urgently. Mercedes dove into her purse and dug out a pen, handing it quickly to Sam. He rested the receipt against the wall of the alley and began scribbling away feverishly. When he was done, he folded the receipt, handing it to Mercedes along with the pen.

"Whats this." She asked, eyeing the folded piece of paper.

"Its the time and day they come by to pick up the money. Give it to your boss." A surge of fear racked Mercedes body, this was really happening. the plan was a-go. This was everything Mercedes had thought she wanted, but now all she wanted to do was tear this paper up. She couldn't bare the thought of helping Shane, especially if it meant Sam would get put in the danger zone.

"Sam they'll rob you blind." She warned, begging him one last time to reconsider.

"But thanks to you i'll be prepared." He smiled down at her before brushing his lips gently against her cheek. Mercedes knees buckled at the contact and all her fears washed away. None of this was explainable, none of it made any sense. But this one moment felt like the only moment of true peace Mercedes had felt in her 21 years of life. She knew things where going to be ok.

Sam brought his lips to her ears and whispered softly just before the police car rolled into view.

"Beat it sweetheart." He smirked down at her one last time before turning his back to her and heading towards the police cruiser. Mercedes ran in the opposite direction, Sam's voice fading away as she fled the scene as fast ash she could.

"Hello officers, it seems we must have had a misunderstanding." Where the last words she heard before she rounded the corner and made her way up the street.

Would those be the last words she ever heard from Sam? Memories of the few moments they spent together flooded her mind. The feel of his lips still lingered on the surface of her skin. She needed to see him again. She had nothing and nobody else, nor did she want anybody else. All she wanted was to be close to him again. Tears stung the corners of her eyes as bitter regret took hold of her. How did she let her life get to this point? How ironic it was that the same people she would have given her life for are the same people keeping her from the one man who was willing to give his life for her? How could someones entire world flip so drastically so fast? Now she was swept up in a course of events she wouldn't be able to dig herself out of. She had to give the information to Shane. If she didn't she'd be dead and someone else would be sent after Sam. At least if she gave the information to Shane, she could still be around to try and protect Sam.

She unfolded the receipt that Sam had given to her.

"Tuesdays at 5am." Her stomach turned. It was Saturday night. She had two days to come up with a way to help Sam before the heist took place. She was about to fold the paper when she noticed more writing at the end of the receipt.

"Remember what I said. Give him the information, then run. I still need to take you out to dinner after all." Underneath his message was an address. Mercedes froze, a broad smile spreading across her face. He was helping her. Just like he promised.

She tore the receipt in half, stuffing the portion with Sam's message into her pocket and folding the part for Shane and clutching it in her hands.

She smiled to herself as she made her way through the glow of Las Vegas lights. For the first time all night she wasn't scared, and how could she be? Sam Evans has this covered.


End file.
